http://www.pcworld.com/article/2012885/20-must-know-windows-8-tips-and-tricks.html
* Further editing by Alan Spicer – sorted in a kind of alphabetical / keyboard location oriented order, + added additional hot keys …
Employ the hottest hotkeys we know
(PC World originally – see link above)
In these key combinations, hold down the Windows key (normally located between Alt and Ctrl) and another key, as described on this list.
Press the Windows key to enter the tiled Start screen. Press it again to go back to the desktop, if you were originally in the desktop. It may take 2 “Esc” – escape key presses to get back to the desktop from some of the Modern UI (Start Screen) functions that these keys pop you into.
The Windows key + A – DOES NOTHING
The Windows key + B – DOES NOTHING
The Windows key + C – opens up the CLOCK / DAY/DATE in the lower left and the SEARCH, SHARE, START, DEVICES, SETTINGS panel to the right (similar to a mouse movement to the upper right or lower right would. The lower right mouse movement seeming to be more stubborn than the upper right one.)
On the Start screen, press the Windows key + D to instantly get to the desktop. (Also note: The Windows key seems to toggle between the Desktop and the Tiled Start Screen quite nicely once you have been to the Desktop once.) * Actually you are toggling back and forth between the START screen and whatever “app” (of the new style) that you last opened, I guess Desktop is an App. Let’s say you opened the WEATHER app … now Windows key toggles between START screen and WEATHER app.
The Windows + D changes this behavior back to Desktop and lands you in the Desktop.
The Windows key + E opens Explorer for quick access to folders. Multiple presses opens multiple “My Computer” windows – in case you want to explore (or copy files) from more than one location at a time. This is the My Computer of old … If you have the desktop icons turned back on “Computer” does this also … but only 1 Explorer window can be opened.
ESCAPE key (or repeated hotkey press) closes some pop up things that these hot key combinations open.The Windows key + F opens a file and folder search. (Takes 2 “ESCAPE” key presses to totally exit this to the Desktop.)
The Windows key + G – DOES NOTHING
The Windows key + H opens a right side panel “Share” – mine says “Nothing can be shared from the desktop”.
The Windows key + I opens the settings menu, giving you quick access to the Control Panel, Personalization, and your Power button, among other features.
The Windows key + J, or K – DOES NOTHING
The Windows key + L – seems to go to a LOCK SCREEN – since I have not password, it passes by the Login icon screen and directly back in. If you had a password set you would have to log back in.
The Windows key + M minimizes everything that’s showing on the desktop. (repeated presses, however, do not un-minimize anything.)
The Windows key + N – DOES NOTHING
The Windows key + O locks orientation on devices with an accelerometer.
The Windows key + P pops up a right side bar for “Second Screen” – Project to a connected screen.The Windows key + Pause opens the system properties page to show you a quick rundown of your specs.
The Windows key + Q opens a global search menu. Type what you’re looking for and where you would like to look. This screen is actually titled “Apps” and shows tiled new style apps as well as many important Desktop applications and utilities … along with the right side bar “Search Apps”. [Edit – it starts on APPS but the right search sidebar has many other categories you can click on to choose WHAT context you want to search – including Maps, Bing Search engine, as well as local things on your computer.] Shameless plug – Do this Windows + Q and click on Bing – type in “Marine Telecom” and find my web site, my LinkedIn, My blog, my Marine Telecom (Communications) LinkedIn Group … among other related things to “Marine Telecom”.
The Windows key + R prompts the Run commanduseful for quickly launching apps and other routines with a command prompt.
The Windows key + S, T – DOES NOTHING
The Windows key + U opens “Ease of Access” window in the Desktop
The Windows key + W opens a search in your system settings to quickly locate and change system properties.
The Windows key + X opens the Quick Access Menu, exposing system functionality such as the Command Prompt, Disk Management, File Explorer, Run, and more. Alternatively, you can right-click on the bottom right corner of the screen to spawn the Quick Access Menu.
The Windows key + Y,Z – DOES NOTHING
The Windows key + 1 opens Internet Explorer – after than it minimizes and restores it. It won’t open any more copies of IE, which neither will the bottom left “E” icon. Use Windows +R and type “iexplore” can open as many as you want … if you happen to not like TABBED browsing.
The Windows key + 2 opens Libraries in the Desktop – after that it minimizes and restores it.
The Windows key + “,” (that’s the comma sign!) makes all current windows transparent, giving you a peek at the desktop as long as you hold down the Windows key.
The Windows key + “.” (the period) snaps a window to the right or left side (toggling each time you press “.”).
The Windows key + Tab opens a list of currently running programs.
The Windows key + Print Screen takes a screenshot and saves it in a Screenshots folder nested in your Pictures folder.To take a screenshot on a Windows 8 tablet, simultaneously press the Windows button and the volume-down button on the tablet chassis.
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* I thought “apps” was the name of that woman in the movie Ghost Ship … but it was “Epps”. “Epps … get off my damn tugboat. We don’t have much time.”
http://www.subzin.com/quotes/Ghost+Ship/get+off+my+damn+tugboat.+We+don%C2%B4t+have+much+time
How to get an Epps off your tugboat? Or … I mean how to get a APP closed on your computer, this was on page 2 of the link (very top) above. With an APP full screen move your mouse to the top of the screen until it turns into a hand. Click and drag down to the bottom of the screen. The app will minimize (?) then disappear back into its icon. It’s now closed. Alt key + F4 also works to close APPS.While you are dragging and before kill the poor APP … you could drag it to the right or the left and make it a sidebar. Then you could open one more APP which is sort of FULL SCREEN minus the sidebar area. So now you have 2 APPS. But I don’t think you can get 3 or 4. So much for Windows. I like the old desktop applications being able to resize and run as many applications as you want to. You can open multiple APPS and switch between them with that Windows Key + Tab thing. Alt + Tab also works. You can change the APP in Sidebar mode to bigger and what ever other APP was bigger will now be the sidebard, even the Windows desktop. You seem to be able to do certain things in the APPS such as in Weather APP you can scroll up and down. But the Windows Desktop as an APP doesn’t seem to let you do anything while it is a sidebar … it comes back to full screen, well except for keeping the other APP now in sidebar. I guess that’s kind of nice … you could have the WEATHER APP as a sidebar to the Desktop. Not quite as nice as Windows Desktop Gadgets in Windows 7 though. I have 7 analog clocks for different world time zones on my Windows 7 desktop, Weather, CPU, Disk Space, Battery Back (UPS), and a lot more as Gadgets on my desktop in Windows 7.
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Alan Spicer Marine Telecom
+1 954 683 3426
communications @ marinetelecom.net